VALLEY FOCUS | Canoga Park

Health Group Opens 7th Clinic in Area

The Northeast Valley Health Corp. has opened a new walk-in clinic at its Canoga Park Health Center in response to an increasing demand for services, officials said.

The Canoga Park Health Center is one of seven community health centers in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys run by the nonprofit health corporation. It was operated by Los Angeles County until 1995. It is now run under a public-private partnership with the county.

The clinic, which opened two weeks ago and is staffed by pediatricians and internists, will accommodate acute problems, officials said.

"Demand for services at our Canoga Park Health Center increased by 25% in 1997 over 1996, and we felt we had to create additional access to vital health-care services," health corporation Executive Director Kimberly Wyard said.

The Canoga Park center offers pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology as well as immunizations, TB testing and access to the county-run Women, Infants and Children program.

Patients who visit the health center are screened to determine eligibility for Medicare or other aid programs. Those who do not qualify are charged on a sliding scale based on family income, officials said.